Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Latin American food has been experiencing a resurgence in popularity. At best is can be colourful, spicy and tweaked for those who want a vegetarian diet. It’s such a big area, so many different cultures, ingredients and cuisines, all reflecting their indigenous roots and the influence of their migrant populations.

1. Turn on the exhaust fan, then in 2 tablespoons of oil, fry each type of chilli separately until it changes colour and is slightly toasted. Remove them to a large bowl, cover the chillies with boiling water, weigh with a plate to keep them submerged, soak at least 1 hour, then drain and discard the chilli water.

5. Add a little more oil to the pan and caramelise1/2 cup onion, sliced1 clove peeled and chopped garlic

- Set aside

6. Get out your food processor and add:

½ tin tomatoes

50 grams dark chocolate

½ cup vegetable stock

- blend until smooth and then add the soaked and drained chillies, all the spices, fruit, nuts and onion.

Scrape down the sides to ensure mix is very smooth.

At this point you can bottle the mixture into sterile jars in the fridge or freeze for later use.

To Prepare Mole Poblano with Queso Fresco

In 2 tablespoons of oil fry 2 cups of the paste for 4-5 minutes.Mix in 5 cups of vegetable stock, and 1 teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently for c.45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, season with 2 tablespoons maple syrup, jaggery, panela or Demerara sugar- Taste and add another tablespoon of sugar if you think it needs it.The sauce sould be the same consistency as heavy cream, and you should taste the spices, the chocolate with a little sweetness.

Queso Fresco is available in delis in vaccum sealed 1 kg rounds, it is made from cows milk and has a very light texture and taste but isn’t as crumbly as ricotta. It can be grated but also melts well, I usually only serve one small wedge or slice per person. For this recipe you can grill the entire round of Queso Blanco for many serves or the individual slices until golden on the edges. Hard boiled eggs, tofu, compressed ricotta and paneer also work well with this recipe. Haloumi and fetta would be too salty.

Pour hot sauce on a warmed serving dish and top with the Queso Blanco, garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

BRIGADEIROS

Very popular chocolate caramel truffles from Brazil

Serves: 20 little truffles

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Equipment:

A medium sized heavy based pot, wooden spoon

Ingredients:

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

4 tablespoons cocoa, unsweetened

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate sprinkles or grated coconut to garnish

Method:

1. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the heavy based pot

2. Stir in the cocoa and salt

3. Cook over a slow heat, stirring continuously so it doesn’t burn

4. Cook for 10-15 minutes till mixture comes away from the sides and is heavy and thick

About Me

This is my virtual pinboard, a place to post my recipes and sewing projects.
I teach Vegetarian Cooking and Patchwork Quilting. There are never enough hours in the day but fortuntely I can survive on a little sleep!